Undeniable
by Tarafina
Summary: Dinah Lance wants Oliver Queen, but he’s very much taken. Chloe/Oliver


**Title**: Undeniable  
**Rating**: T  
**Genre**: Romance/Drama  
**Pairing**: Chloe/Oliver, one-sided Dinah/Oliver  
**Summary**: Dinah Lance wants Oliver Queen, but he's very much taken.

**_Undeniable _**

1/1

Oliver Queen was uncomfortable. While Dinah Lance was an accomplished League member, she was also an incessant flirt. In other circumstance, it might've been flattering and even worth exploring. However, he wasn't sure how to let the Black Canary know that he wasn't interested. It was already making work complicated. The others had noticed her affection and were wondering why he was holding back. Seeing as he was currently involved with another Justice League member, secretly of course, he couldn't explain it to them.

"Any new missions today, Boss?" she asked, lifting a manicured brow. "I'm always up for some surveillance if you're interested in joining me." Her voice took on a teasing, purposely seductive lilt and he simply looked at her stoically.

"You can tail Lex if you're bored," he said with a shrug. "I don't think Bart's busy."

He swore she was almost pouting.

AC was staring at him like he was an idiot, but he really didn't want to get into that conversation again.

"That mean you're busy, Boss?" she asked, chewing her lip and staring up at him through her long lashes.

Oliver sighed. "Very." He turned around, trying not to frown at how close she was standing.

"Doing what?" she asked, voice low.

"Ollie?" a voice called out and he turned to see Chloe standing with a few folders in her hands. He hid his relief well; acting was a skill he'd long past mastered. "We're going to be late. Do you have the disk?"

"Yeah," he said, before glancing at Dinah and nodding goodbye.

"I didn't hear about a meeting."

Oliver looked back at her. "It wasn't public knowledge. You're a valuable member, but some things just aren't part of your job description."

She frowned, looking perturbed as she put her hands on her hips.

She said nothing more as the two left, instead sighing before she took a seat on the couch, crossing her legs and staring glumly out the window. Somehow being in the Justice League wasn't as action packed as she hoped.

Bart sped over, taking a seat next to her and leaning in close. "Hey _mamacita_," he greeted, grinning.

Dinah rolled her eyes. "I'm busy."

He laughed, reaching out and stroking her cheek with a curled forefinger. "Doing what? Besides failing at getting Ollie's attention, that is."

She glared at him.

He lifted his hands in surrender. "Just saying… Maybe your sights are set a little high." He winked at her charmingly.

But a second later, he left, going back to whatever he'd been up to before deciding to annoy her. She blew out a heavy breath and wondered over whether Bart could be right.

It was a few hours before Oliver returned to his apartment and Dinah was the only one left waiting. She was disappointed to see his grin disappear upon seeing her. Her feelings for Oliver had heightened over the last year they'd been working together and she was honestly surprised that his feelings didn't seem to be following her own. They worked for the same things; justice on all accounts. They hadn't had the greatest of starts, but she figured he was past that. He asked her to be a part of his League after all. But he still treated her just like another one of the team and he adamantly avoided her hints at wanting more. She assumed for awhile that it might be just because he needed to keep his leader mask on in front of the rest of the group, but he hadn't made any indication to wanting more outside of the League either.

"Long meeting," she said, lifting a hand to run it through her close cropped blonde hair. There was no need for a wig when she was just hanging around the apartment. The windows were tinted as it was; there was no chance of somebody spotting her.

"It was important," he said, shrugging slightly as he dropped his keys on the counter nearest him. "What are you still doing here? Would've thought you'd head home by now." He looked uncomfortable and he was quick to stay out of her general vicinity as he made his way to the living room.

"I wanted to talk to you. I'm not usually one for avoiding the issue and this was beginning to weigh on me." She cocked her hip to one side, lifting a brow at him as he sat down in an arm chair and nodded for her to continue. "You going to stay in leader mode or can you loosen up for this?"

He half smiled, amused by her candor. "What do you need, Dinah?"

Good question. She walked around the couch, a sway to her hips. "It's more of what I want."

He looked up at her, his usually warm brown eyes looking less friendly in that moment. He sighed. "We work together. And I don't mix work with pleasure."

Her mouth quirked with a smirk. "It could be _really _pleasurable though."

His eyes fell and he shook his head. "You're a great person, Dinah, and an important part of my team. But you and me… It's just not going to happen."

She frowned. "Why?" she asked seriously, moving to sit down on the couch, one of her legs bent beneath her. "Is it Lois?" she asked, her brow lifting and her mouth thinning.

He shook his head. "Lois and I have been over for a long time and that's not going to change. But…" He leaned back in his seat. "I'm seeing someone. And I care about her. A lot."

Her brows lifted with slight surprise. "Does she know about the green leather?" His secret, like the rest of them, was what usually kept him from getting serious with anyone. It would take a lot for him to share and she felt that her knowledge of it was probably a tick in the pro's list for them becoming more.

He nodded. "She knows everything and she supports me."

Dinah nodded jerkily, standing from the couch. "Will you be introducing her to the League any time then, Boss? Secrets can burn you when left too long in the dark." It felt catty, almost as if she was dangling his secret in front of her. Defense mechanism she supposed.

He stared up at her, his expression unreadable. "Our relationship is important to me. We've kept it under-wraps for safety reasons. I'd appreciate your silence on the matter."

"Back to being the same old serious Oliver," she teased, her mouth curving with a smirk.

He ran a hand through his hair easily and she watched the movement with a bit of remorse. He was a very handsome man and she'd hoped that something could come of this.

"I hope this won't cause problems for you in the League," he said honestly.

"Justice and my love life are very separate." She shrugged. "I still say we would've been great though."

He simply half-smiled, not looking entirely convinced.

With a subdued goodbye, she left his apartment and took to the skies. She'd return to her quiet apartment, feeling rather empty. It was worth a try, in any case. Was it love? She didn't know. She doubted it. She wasn't able to get close enough to him to really learn who Oliver Queen was deep down. She knew the reserved and stoic personality he showed as leader to a group of heroes. She didn't know what his honest, down to the gut laugh sounded like. Or what his full fledged grin might look like. She wanted to though and as morning dawned, she decided it was worth digging into a little more. She'd have to see if this girlfriend of his was worth his time or even real, seeing as he could just be playing the safe Oliver Queen she knew and not letting himself get close to her.

She spent four weeks tailing him. He did a lot of boring work during his day life; meetings and phone calls and paper work stacked to the ceiling. A few of those calls though, they weren't business related at all. She could tell by his smile as he spoke into the phone. She caught a few stray sentences here or there but it was hard to tail a guy who knew all the tricks of the trade. "What are you wearing?" she'd heard once and then his laugh. "No, don't change. I'll be there soon. I'll take it off for you."

There were the less sensual calls as well, but still intimate in a way that she was rather jealous of. "Of course I bought more coffee, check the cupboard… No the other one." He shook his head, eyes turning upward as he grinned. "Would I leave you coffee less?" He laughed. "One time. And I made up for it, didn't I?"

It wasn't until the second week that she actually saw them together. It took awhile for her to figure it out, much to her chagrin. But once she knew, it became that much more obvious. They were all in a League meeting, the group standing in wait for their directions. Oliver came out from his office, nodding at everybody in greeting. As he passed her, his fingers lingered over her wrist, stroking it lightly, and her fingers spread out as his hand trailed lower, forefinger grazing her palm. But then he was speaking to the League as if nothing had happened, his small, intimate touch going unnoticed by all but Dinah, who did her best not to glare at the young woman standing seriously, waiting for her mission to be given.

She should have seen it earlier; they spent a lot of time together as it was. She was who he went to when he needed help with most things. They had a comfortable banter between them that most excused as friendship while she noticed more recently was wrought with sexual chemistry. And he touched her a whole lot more than he did anybody else. Oliver wasn't much of a physical guy with the rest of the League, but with her, he was always putting his hand at the small of her back or brushing her hair behind her ear. And the smile he gave her was different from the rest; more warm and real. She made him laugh too; that down to the gut laugh that Dinah wished she could get out of him.

The most damning evidence was when they left the meeting, however. Everybody had plans, separating to go wherever they needed to be. Oliver didn't flinch as he mentioned that he had a pressing matter to get to and his secret lover gave a simple excuse and then left, with nobody being the wiser. But as Dinah walked down the street, hidden away in a red wig and a trench coat, she could see the way the couple drifted toward each other. It started out small in public. His hand reached out, falling to the small of her back and sliding to her far hip as they walked. And her hand rose, sitting on his side for a moment before drifting along his back, rubbing his shoulder as they talked and then finally sitting comfortably on his far side, her thumb hooked in his jacket pocket. He leaned down to speak to her, as if trying to avoid the rest of the world. He whispered against her ear, pressed his face against her hair, and his smile inched up his mouth at her temple, while he stared down softly at her before kissing the top of her head. They stopped for dinner where they played footsies beneath the table and exchanged banter.

He lifted his wine glass, taking a drink his eyes set heatedly on his date. "What do you have planned for tonight?"

She smiled at him, her head tilting to one side. "I have very important plans."

He smiled slightly. "Really?"

She nodded, her mouth quirking on one side. "Can't be changed." She lifted a shoulder. "This guy I'm seeing is hard-pressed for time, so what little we do have has to be enjoyed as much as possible."

He nodded. "Sounds like a hassle. You should dump him."

She laughed richly and Dinah was saddened to see that her laugh made Oliver's eyes warmer. "He makes up for it," she assured.

A smirk tugged at his mouth. "So what do you do during this make up time you two have?"

His date pursed her lips, lifting a brow. "A little personal, don't you think?"

He grinned, shrugging slightly. "You tell me."

She leaned forward and Dinah could see her foot sliding up Oliver's leg slowly, her heel slipping off to lay forgotten on the floor. Her foot maneuvered into his lap with ease, stroking his inner thigh a few times before rubbing at the evidence of his arousal. "We usually get dinner at this really nice restaurant he took me to on our first date," she told him, her voice low. His stoic resolve was slipping as he slumped slightly in his seat, leaning into her pleasurable motions.

"And then?" His tone was a little breathy.

She smiled. "Sometimes we see a movie, take a walk in the park, and just get reacquainted after such a long time apart." She leaned back in her seat, one of her hands raising, fingers cupping her chin. "And when we're done with pretending like we haven't wanted to just head to the bedroom since seeing each other again, we finally do."

"Sounds like a long process," he murmured, his eyes half-lidded.

"On occasion, we've gone straight from dinner to home," she admitted in a whisper as if it were private knowledge.

"What's the plan tonight?" he asked huskily.

Her eyes fell as she lifted her wine glass to her lips. "You tell me."

Oliver's hand rose. "Check."

She smirked.

Dinah frowned.

As they walked the short distance back to his apartment, she watched their little touches become more affectionate. In the dark emptiness of the street, he didn't hesitate to kiss her. And there was obvious heat in the slant of his lips against hers. His lover's hands gripped the front of his coat while his slid down her back, wrapping tight around her hips and drawing her up toward him. He cradled her in his arms, lifting her up off the ground and laughing against her shoulders as her arms wrapped around his neck and he carried her the last little bit to Queen Tower. They were lighthearted together; their laughter, their conversation, their hands that seemed to wander everywhere. Even from afar, Dinah could see the heat between them; the comfort they found in each other.

She had no idea how long they'd been together but they were pretty good at keeping it from everybody else. Not even the tabloids had gotten hold of them and torn them to shreds yet and there was plenty to work with. As far as she could tell none of the League knew; Oliver was good at keeping secrets and so was his girlfriend. Everything looked like a legitimate work partnership between two intelligent and hard working heroes. And it wasn't just to blow off steam either, as much as she wished it was. Oliver was happier with her, more at ease. The stoic personality melted away when he was with her. His smile widened, his laughed rumbled, his eyes warmed. He was Ollie to her, not _the_ Oliver Queen or Green Arrow. And she was just plain his.

For two weeks, she watched with a critical eye as they talked shop, talked dirty, played hero, played lovers, and they fit. Her affection for Oliver was no where near that of the girl who spent each night in his arms, in his heart. He wouldn't go out of his way to get her favorite brand of coffee and stock it in the cupboards as if it were the cure to cancer; not like he did for his blonde beauty. While Dinah was a valued Justice League member, his girlfriend was someone he truly valued. And she could see that as much as he might care about saving the world and creating a team of superior people to help him do it, he wouldn't sacrifice all of himself for it. He kept his beauty undercover because he didn't want to lose her; didn't want her to be used against him should anything happen. And he was right to. She had enough enemies as it was; having her linked to the Green Arrow would only put her a few notches higher on the need-to-kill list.

She was better than Lois, Dinah would give her that. Her affection for Oliver stopped her from thinking much more of her than that though. Even though she knew there was no competition, she still felt as though she had to hold strong in face of her defeat. It was over before it really began. He wasn't even considering her, not really. He had his other half and Dinah hadn't been a passing thought in the romantic scheme of things. It should've hurt, but witnessing their relationship had made it all a little numb.

Another meeting had her face to face with them again, watching the way everybody went on, oblivious to the two and their separation from the League.

"So, Chloelicious, you want to join me us for some mow tonight?" Bart called out to her as he pulled his backpack on, readying to leave Queen Tower.

"As tempting as that sounds, I already have plans," she told him, smiling.

"Suit yourself, beautiful," he told her, grinning. He was gone in a flash, no hard feelings over the rejection.

"I've gotta go too. I have a date," AC announced, looking quite smug. "Always nice to see ya, Chlo," he said, nodding at her. "I'll drop those files off with you tomorrow, Ollie." He turned to Dinah and smiled at her in a friendly manner before he was on his way out, whistling something under his breath.

Victor and Clark were deep in discussion on the other side of the room and so they didn't see how Oliver had drifted over to Chloe. "Plans?"

"That's right," she said quietly, her eyes turning to look at him cheekily. "I'm playing tag and you're it. Catch me if you can." Her hands drifted over his stomach in an intimate touch before she was hefting her book bag onto her shoulder and waving toward the other two boys. "I'll see you guys around."

"Night Chloe," Clark called out.

"Hey, I wanted to talk to you about a hard drive problem," Victor told her.

She pointed at him. "Come by Tuesday and I'm all yours."

He winked. "Don't tempt me now," he teased.

She laughed as she waved back to them and climbed onto the elevator.

"We're going to go get something to eat. You coming, Oliver? Dinah?" Clark asked turning to them.

Dinah nodded. "You go ahead. I'll meet you there."

"Great. Diner on the corner, you know the one?"

"I'll be there soon."

The two left and Dinah found herself left with just Oliver once more.

He glanced over at her, a brow lifting. "Something you wanted to talk about?"

Her hands found her hips and she walked over slowly, her eyes scanning him speculatively. He seemed oblivious to her looks, packing up a few papers, eyes falling to the clock every few seconds. He just couldn't wait to get to _her_.

"The reporter, huh?" she said bluntly.

His hands stilled and he stared downward for a moment before finally lifting his head and turning serious eyes on her. "I love her," he said simply.

"I know," she said quietly.

"I'm sorry," he told her, frowning.

"No. You're not," she said, shaking her head with a rather stiff laugh. "But I understand."

He simply nodded before crossing his arms over his chest, as if waiting for her to start interrogating him. She hadn't planned to, but there were questions she wanted answers to.

"How long?"

"Since before I even met you," he admitted.

Her mind brought her back to that night, the way he showed up to save the day and the reporter in distress. She'd thought he was coming at her for the disk, but as she thought back now, she realized he was running to Chloe after she'd been floored. So quick to make sure she was okay, everything else paled in comparison. Still, she was surprised they'd been able to keep it quiet for so long. Over a year now; long time for a guy like him.

"And nobody knows?" she asked, lifting a brow.

He sighed. " Clark knows." He shrugged slightly. "An unfortunate interruption that I'm sure he'd rather forget."

She would've found it amusing had it been somebody else. "Lois?"

He shook his head, clearing his throat. "A complication, I know. We should tell her, but…" His jaw tightened. "She's not the greatest secret keeper and I honestly don't want our relationship to end because I picked the wrong cousin to begin with."

Dinah nodded, licking her lips. "So she's it?"

He stared at her; that stoic reserve slipping as his mouth turned up at the sides with a real Ollie smile. "She's everything."

Dinah hid her wince.

"How'd you find out?" he wondered, his brow furrowed.

"For a man of your lifestyle, you should learn to keep your eyes on your surroundings more. You were easier to tail than I expected," she admitted with no remorse. "And those hands of yours speak more than you think."

He looked rather amused. "Thanks for the tip; I'll try to keep them to myself from now on."

She smirked. "Somehow I doubt it."

His mouth quirked with a grin but it was short-lived as he turned to look at the clock. "It's getting late…"

"And you have a game of tag to get to," she finished, nodding.

His brows rose with slight surprise but he hid it quickly.

"I'm happy for you," she told him as she picked up her jacket and slid it on. "It may not seem like it now, but I am. I guess you could say it's a comforting thought that even people like us can have some normality." She shrugged, flipping her dark wig hair out from beneath the collar of her coat. "It's rare. You should hold onto it while you can."

He nodded. "I will."

She stuck her hands in her pockets, her hip cocking to one side. "You know if she hadn't been good enough for you, I was going to make you see the error of your ways," she informed him, candidly.

He lifted a brow. "And what's the verdict, Miss Lance?"

She half-smiled. "It was undeniable, I'm afraid." She nodded. "You're great together."

His face softened as if he knew how hard it must've been for her to admit such a thing. "Thank you."

"Don't expect me to be so soft in future, Queen." She grinned a rather seductive smile that came naturally to her. "We all pull our own weight around here and girlfriend or not, you two better keep it together."

He laughed lightly, nodding agreeably.

She turned serious for a moment. "She'll always be your weakness. Remember that."

He tipped his head in acknowledgement and Dinah felt as though she said all that needed to be said. She walked to the elevator with a fluid sway to her hips. She stopped when she heard his voice call after her.

"She's my strength, too." His dark eyes bore into hers and she knew he wasn't just spitting out love junk. Chloe Sullivan could make or break him and for the time being, she was making him.

Looking back to him, she lifted her chin. "I know." With that, she left, knowing that whatever could've been between her and Oliver never would be. He was better off with the woman that kept him level, she knew that now. She'd expected to find someone unworthy and likely unable to handle the lifestyle that she and the rest of the League had to deal with. Instead she found the only girl out there who could really understand secrets and the meaning behind keeping them. She found that there could be love in a world where the good had to hide behind masks while the bad stood openly with a wad of cash to keep them on top of the world. Her heart wasn't broken, but it was chipped. Still, there was an upside. She wasn't chasing a wild dream. Oliver wasn't hers and probably never would be, but the opportunity was out there, she just had to find her "Chloe". As she walked down the street toward the diner, she briefly wondered what Bart was doing. He was goofy and rather cheesy in an entirely too adorable way. He wasn't at all her type. But then, maybe her type wasn't who she should be looking for.

Sighing, she opened the door to the diner she often met the Justice League members in for a late dinner. Outside, she noticed Oliver walking down the street, his cell phone out and a familiar smile on his face. At least two of them were happy.

"Hey _mamacita_, over here," she heard Bart's voice call out.

Rolling her eyes, she turned and walked toward the table, smirking inwardly at the way the three men at the table all watched her with interested eyes. She might not have Oliver, but she still had pick of the litter, and what a delicious group there was.

* * *

**Author's Note**:_ I'm not all that famliar with Dinah Lance's character, so if I totally screwed her up, I'm sorry. I hope you liked this! Lemme know. Reviews are sustenance, readers! Luv yas - Fina._


End file.
